Was Bill Clinton Really So Bad?

Question

I mean, the only bad thing he ever did was blow and be blown by an intern. And that only interfered with the country because the republican bitches insisted on impeaching him for it, thus taking away attention from real issues. He did a lot of great things as prez. The only thing I don't like was the "don't ask don't tell" policy.

koalatcomics has a list of several things which he beleives are bad. While certainly some of the things are immoral, NONE of the things on your list relate to the way Clinton ran the country. Proving my point that the only bad things republicans can say about him, really don't matter. And let's not forget that Clinton had his highest approval ratings AFTER the Lewinsky business.

Answer 1

Bill was a visionary as you can see from his excellent health and poverty intiatives worldwide via his Foundation. One of his key legacies - though few are savvy enough to see it - was international trade law - one of the most if not THE most important tools in securing global peace and prosperity. Read what he said about the World Trade Organization in the '90s - humbling stuff. And you should see the amazingly astute policy papers his staff produced on a wide, wide array of topics but esp trade. Be proud of Bill. He may do his best work outside of office.

Here are a few of his comments from 1999:

I would like to say, first of all, I think we need to do a better job of making the basic case. No one in this room can seriously argue that the world would have been a better place today if our forebears over the last 50 years had not done their work to bring us closer together. Whatever the problems that exist, in whatever countries represented here -- whatever the legitimacy of any of the criticism against us -- this is a stronger, more prosperous world because we have worked to expand the frontiers of cooperation and reduce the barriers to trade among people. And we need to reiterate our conviction that that is true. (emphasis added) If we were all out here going on our own, we would not be as well off in the world as we are.

Secondly, at the end of the Cold War, I am sure everyone in this room has been struck by the cruel irony that in this most modern of ages -- when the Internet tells us everything, as Mr. Moore said; when we are solving all the problems of the human gene and we will soon know what's in the black holes in the universe -- it is truly ironic when the biggest problems of human societies are the oldest ones, those rooted in our fear of those who are different from us -- different races, different ethnic groups, different tribes, different religions. All over the world, people consumed by differences.

When people are working together for common prosperity in a rule-based system, they have big incentives to lay the differences down and join hands to work together. So if we just make those two points to our critics, I think it's very important. Number one, the world is a better place than it would have been, had we not had the last 50 years of increasing economic cooperation for trade and investment. And number two, the world of the future will be a safer place if we continue to work together in a rule-based system that offers enormous incentives for people to find ways to cooperate and to give up their old hatreds and their impulses to violence and war. (emphasis added)

Now, having said that, we now have to say: what next? I think we have to acknowledge a responsibility, particularly those of us in the wealthier countries, to make sure that we are working harder to see that the benefits of the global economy are more widely shared among and within countries -- that it truly works for ordinary people who are doing the work for the rest of us.

Answer 2

BIll Clinton was a mediocre president at best (I leave the "Wrost President" title to Jimmy Carter. Not pursuing the people responsible for the 1993 WTC bombing, the Embassy Bombings and the USS Cole Bombing led to terrorists destroying the WTC on 9/11; the first major terrorist massacre on American Soil in our history. Because of his inaction and for being too busy sexing it up with interns, we are stuck in two wars with Iraq and Afghanistan that we probably would not be involved in if he had taken decisive action.

Thanks for nothing, Bill; next time? Inhale and don't forget to clean yourself after the bl0wj0b. >:-(

Answer 3

Dick Cheney apparently doesn't think so:

"And in the meantime, the president feels strongly -- and I do too, I agreed with him -- that it's important for us to pass on these offices we occupy to our successors in as good a shape as we found them. And that means protecting and preserving the integrity of those processes".

Larry King Live
July 31, 2007

Answer 4

BWAAAH HAAAH...YOUR KIDDING RIGHT..THAT WAS THE ONLY BAD THING??? have you forgotten about...

- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates*
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly
- First president sued for sexual harassment.
- First president accused of rape.
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court

check your facts before you make those types of statements.

Answer 5

President Clinton was good for our country. The religious right didn't like it because he did the same thing many pres' did before him, but got caught! Sex was his downfall. Bush has many MORE sins!!

Answer 6

I think he was a weak man in terms of his behaviors but I would go back in a sec if given that option.

The one we have now is...man, this is bad.

Answer 7

I'm glad you listed all the "great things" he did, because I can't remember any...maybe bombing an aspirin factory to cover up his lying and affairs was one?

Answer 8

Clinton:
- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance 
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates* 
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation 
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify 
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly 
- First president sued for sexual harassment. 
- First president accused of rape. 
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation - (White House Furnishings missing when they departed).
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions 
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court 
- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance 
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates* 
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation 
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify 
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly 
- First president sued for sexual harassment. 
- First president accused of rape. 
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions 
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court
- SANDY BERGER COVER UP (Convicted of stealing Top Secret Papers from the National Archives so he wouldn't have to give them to the 9/11 Commission.)
trust me...you liberals and the clintons DESERVE each other...

Answer 9

After 7 years of Bush- Bill is looking BETTER every day... -Thanks George. :)